Knowledge Base

Documentation to help you use the POEditor localization platform effectively

What is Translation Memory

Owner Admin

This option is available beginning with the Start plan.

Translation Memory is a feature that memorizes the translations in your projects, and lets you load exact matches in other translation projects, so you don't have to translate the same strings multiple times.

Who can use the Translation Memory

If you have a paid subscription on POEditor, the Translation Memory feature is enabled for your account by default.

You can also allow your admins and contributors to use your Translation Memory in your localization projects in Account Settings > Translation Memory Access. Here, you can also enable Translation Memory Suggestions.

Preferences (Account Settings) - POEditor Localization Platform

How the Translation Memory works

Each time a user adds a translation in a language, the translation is stored immediately in the TM database.

The TM database stores one translation per user for each term. This translation gets updated each time the same user edits it in the interface. In case a different user adds a different translation for the same term, it will also get stored in the Translation Memory database.

The TM feature works with exact matches. If it does not find any exact matches for a term, it also looks at the value in the (Default) Reference Language (if one is set). If it finds an exact match with the string in the (Default) Reference Language, it suggests translations based on it, even if the term is different.

If there is more than one translation variant for a term in the Translation Memory, the TM will generate a list of suggestion, so you can choose your preferred translation. The TM will always list the translations according to how many times they were used.

Translation Memory suggestions

To display Translation Memory Suggestions in the translation pages for your admins and contributors, you need to enable the options Translation Memory Suggestions as well as Translation Memory Access in Account Settings.

If a translation box is empty and there is at least one translation stored in the TM database for its corresponding term, it will be suggested under the translation box.

Translation Memory suggestion - POEditor translation management system

Press Use if you want to add a suggested translation to an empty translation box.

How to bulk load translations from the Translation Memory

To bulk load translations to the empty translation boxes of a language, access the translation page for that language, click on Translation Memory and then on Start searching. The TM will search through all your translations and display a list of all possible options for your current language. You can remove the translations you don't need from this list.

Translation Memory searched - POEditor translation management system

How to delete Translation Memory entries

If you want to delete entries from your account's Translation Memory, go to Account Settings > Translation Memory.

Delete Translation Memory entries (Account Settings) - POEditor translation management software

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